A solid support for participants

The success of implementing the health insurance policy in recent years has affirmed the role of this policy in social life and the lives of the people... Alongside the development and continuous improvement of the health insurance policy, the percentage of health insurance participants has gradually increased over the years.

Currently, the coverage of health insurance has reached approximately 92% of the population, equivalent to over 90 million participants, progressively realizing the goal of universal health insurance coverage. In parallel, ensuring the rights to medical examination and treatment for health insurance cardholders has achieved significant progress. Each year, more than 100 million healthcare visits for health insurance cardholders have their rights guaranteed. The health insurance fund has effectively replaced the financial mechanisms for healthcare, and the health insurance policy has ensured the principle of risk sharing among participants.

People find happiness in having the health insurance card, especially when they are sick or facing illnesses

Health insurance program participation is considered a form of “saving when healthy for healthcare needs when illness”, aiming to reduce the economic burden in the unfortunate event of illness, including severe and costly diseases. By participating in health insurance, individuals have access to basic healthcare services without being dependent on their ability to pay.

Statistics from the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) show that the health insurance fund pays out between 100,000 to 105,000 billions Vietnamese dong annually for healthcare services. Many patients receive reimbursements of billions of dong each year. In addition to covering regular medical expenses, the health insurance fund also provides financial support for individuals with severe and chronic diseases such as hemophilia, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and kidney failure. Therefore, for many years, the health insurance card has been considered a "lifebuoy" and an indispensable "lifesaving card" for everyone.

People have access to modern healthcare services, new medications

According to the VSS, the health insurance benefits for participants are expanding both in scope and coverage. The quality of healthcare services under health insurance has also been improved, enabling people to access modern healthcare services, new medications, and high-efficiency treatments, helping many individuals overcome illnesses.

The health insurance fund covers a wide range of medications, including over 1,000 active pharmaceutical ingredients, biologics, and hundreds of traditional medicines and herbal remedies. This includes medications for cancer treatment, rare diseases, blood disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and more. Patients are prescribed long-term medications, including lifelong treatments for their conditions.

The quality of healthcare services under the health insurance program is continually improved for the benefit of the people

Although the medications for treating severe diseases can be expensive, costing tens of millions of Vietnamese dong per dose, they are still covered by the health insurance fund. The current list of health insurance medications adequately meets the treatment needs for severe diseases.

In addition to medication costs, health insurance participants also have their technical service expenses (with over 9,000 services) and medical supplies covered by the health insurance fund. This includes high-cost surgeries and procedures such as robotic surgeries, joint replacements, spinal disc replacements, and pacemaker implantations. It is worth noting that some medical supplies reimbursed by the health insurance fund can be worth hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong.

Regarding inpatient bed costs, the health insurance fund pays based on the hospital's category and the type of bed used. The average cost of an inpatient bed per day covered by the health insurance fund is around 1.2-1.3 million Vietnamese dong for an average treatment period of about 6 days.

For special care cases, the health insurance fund can cover tens of millions of Vietnamese dong per treatment period, and in some cases, the bed costs can even reach hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong.

Health insurance reduces the burden for impoverished patients.

Health insurance demonstrates profound humanitarian significance and community sharing. The benefits of health insurance participation include free health insurance cards for children under 6 years old and financial support from the government based on specific categories (such as the poor, near-poor, family-based participation, ethnic minorities, students, etc.); participants can choose healthcare facilities near their place of residence for initial registration and can change the registered facility afterward. When receiving healthcare services according to the regulations, the health insurance fund covers 80-100% of the healthcare costs, depending on the specific category. Additionally, it helps health insurance participants alleviate the financial burden of healthcare expenses in the event of illness, accidents, especially for severe and chronic diseases that require prolonged treatment...

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Director General of the VSS, Nguyen The Manh, visits and presents gifts to health insurance patients

"If it weren't health insurance, my family would have been bankrupt," said Mr. Hoang Van Sang from Nhan Dinh hamlet, Yen Dinh commune, Son Dong district, Bac Giang province. Speaking about his illness, Mr. Sang shared, "Just six months ago, I was going about my daily activities when suddenly I had a high fever, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and circulatory disorders. My family rushed me to the provincial General Hospital, where I was diagnosed with septic shock. I was then transferred to Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi for surgery, which cost nearly 150 million Vietnamese dong, with 80% covered by health insurance. My wife also has a brain tumor and cannot work, and our daughter works as a laborer in Bac Ninh city, struggling financially. Thanks to health insurance, my family has been able to alleviate the burden of healthcare costs. Without health insurance, I don't know how we would have overcome this situation."

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Minh Thanh from Muong Tra hamlet, Tan Thanh commune, Long Phu district, Soc Trang province, has faced unfortunate circumstances in his family, as his wife, the pillar of the family, passed away due to a severe and poor disease. Now there are only three remaining family members striving to overcome difficulties and improve their lives. Once again, misfortune befell the family when, in the early months of 2023, Mr. Thanh's eldest son had an accident while riding his motorcycle home from work, resulting in a head injury and the need for a long hospitalization and treatment to recover his health. Mr. Thanh shared, "Thanks to health insurance, 80% of my son's healthcare costs have been covered by the health insurance fund. For many years, I have purchased health insurance not only for myself but also for my entire family members. Therefore, when my son had an accident, it reduced the financial burden for my family. I am truly grateful to the government for implementing such a humane policy."

It is evident that by participating in health insurance, all individuals have access to basic healthcare services without being dependent on their payment ability. Therefore, now more than ever, people need to understand the benefits of participating in health insurance, which helps mitigate financial risks for themselves, their families, and also shares the burden within the community if someone unfortunately falls ill.